


Legion

by Tiara_of_Sapphires



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ben and Rey are Trying, F/M, Fluff and Angst, this is v soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22596289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiara_of_Sapphires/pseuds/Tiara_of_Sapphires
Summary: The war was over. Across the galaxy, hundreds called out in one voice: “I need a teacher.”A fic for midwinterspring for the RFFA Valentine’s Day 2020 ExchangePrompt: Rey and Ben train new Force users and fix things
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31
Collections: For one is both and both are one in love: The Reylo Fanfiction Anthology's Valentine's Day Exchange





	Legion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [midwinterspring](https://archiveofourown.org/users/midwinterspring/gifts).



> A fic for midwinterspring for the RFFA Valentine’s Day 2020 Exchange  
> Prompt: Rey and Ben train new Force users and fix things  
> Enjoy!

Balance didn’t come at the end of the final battle; Exegol was just the first step. It only became obvious after the first couple days after the First Order’s fall that there were a hundred steps, a thousand things to be done to fix the galaxy.

What was left of the New Republic government was barely able to hold together in the vacuum that the previous regime left behind. Many planets still felt the effects of First Order rule. While victorious, the Resistance had faced near-crippling losses.

And then, there was the Jedi.

Rey and Ben Solo walked—limped, really—out of Exegol’s temple as victors, but it was clear that there was much work to be done. The Force sensitives of the galaxy—in hiding or unknowing of their power—called out to them. They answered.

It had been a boon in many ways. It kept Ben away from the Resistance when half of them wished him dead, despite his actions in the final battle. The two of them could also just be alone together without lightyears and a sea of anger between them.

A relieved kiss in the shadow of death didn't make a relationship however. There were lingering touches here and there, but they found themselves in a period of transition where nothing seemed to actually settle into something solid.

They were bonded and that reality was only clearer as they sat side-by-side in the _Falcon_ cockpit, flying to the nearest beacon that was a Force sensitive.

“We will need a place to have a school,” Ben mused.

That seemed to be the bantha in the room since they disembarked from the Resistance base. They could recruit a hundred students, but if there was no place for them to teach, what was the point?

They could teach a handful of students on the _Falcon_ , but that could only be a temporary solution.

“A Jedi Temple? Not Ahch-To, but there was the one before the Empire?”

Ben immediately shook his head. “Not the one on Coruscant.”

“Why not?”

“There is the specter of death hanging over that place. Hundreds of Jedi were killed when the Emperor rose to power. It was the bastion of the Jedi’s fall.”

Rey winced. She remembered seeing glimpses of something on Exegol: a blue lightsaber cutting down younglings and Knights alike.

Ben seemed to catch some of those thoughts. “The Jedi Purge at the end of the Clone Wars,” he said with a nod. “That was what you saw.”

She sighed. It was probably for the best that they avoid the place anyway. The idea of being in the middle of a city that covered the entire planet brought chills down her spine. Sure, artificial gardens were a thing to substitute the lack of nature, but it wouldn’t be the same as being surrounded by lush forests or grasslands. She grew up around artificial and unliving things, which couldn't compare to the life she found herself surrounded by in her travels.

“Somewhere green, then?”

He didn't protest. Instead, he reached for a datapad and began to tap at it. “I have a few ideas.”

Rey leaned over his shoulder, too close to be strictly professional. She could see goosebumps form where her breath puffed against his neck.

“Show me.”

* * *

The search for a place to settle was immediately sidelined when they found the first Force sensitive.

On the outskirts of one of the Corellia’s trading ports—and there were many of them—was a cluster of cramped apartment buildings. The girl in the farthest building sat on a rickety porch, maybe fourteen years old. Her light-brown skin had a greyish tinge and there were dark shadows around her eyes as she watched the two Jedi approach.

“I know who you are,” she snapped before either of them could say anything. “I’ve seen you in my dreams. You’re freaks like me.”

Ben and Rey couldn't help but exchange a glance. Freaks?

“What’s your name, since you already know who we are?” Ben asked.

Rey was going to elbow him for the cantankerous tone but immediately the girl sniffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Mhyra. And just because I know your faces doesn’t mean I know your names, genius.”

Ben sniffed in disdain as Rey bit back a grin. She already liked this girl and that was before she could sense the strength that seemed to roll off of her.

“I’m Rey. He’s Ben. We just want to talk.”

The girl didn't change position, but she didn't tell them to _kriff_ off, so they took it as an invitation.

Rey glanced at Ben, suddenly unsure of what to say. They had talked about what to say when trying to talk to Force sensitives or their families, but now that there was one in front of them, all of what they had practiced flew out the window.

“Have you ever heard of the Jedi?” Ben started, accepting that Rey wasn’t going to start talking.

Mhyra watched them, tilting her head in confusion. “Stories. Thought they were all dead.”

She was close to being right, which was the unfortunate part. Ben had explained to Rey enough about the mythos of the Jedi in the post-Empire galaxy to know that the Jedi weren’t exactly well-known. Even when they were known, it was often assumed that they didn't exist anymore. Luke Skywalker was dead, the most famous Jedi of the era, and that was all anyone needed to know.

“It is a long tradition that stretched back for millennia and it is very much alive,” Ben interjected.

“Must not have been that impressive if no one has heard of them.”

Ben immediately shot back, “Being slaughtered by the Empire and the First Order would do that.”

Rey glanced to see a muscle jump in Ben’s jaw. He had told her little of what had happened at Luke’s temple, but she knew that the dreams of fractured memories and fire and limp bodies were from that day.

Whatever quip Mhyra was going to throw at them, she swallowed it back.

“Before the First Order and the Empire, the young ones were apprentices. The Knights taught them as masters. They—” Ben explained, only to stop as Mhyra’s brow tightened and her offense at the words spiked hot through the Force.

“Master?” she repeated, voice low. “I’m going to become someone’s _servant_?”

The air turned very still as her words seemed to reverberate around the space.

“I—didn’t mean it like that,” Ben sputtered. Rey was similarly caught off-guard. Did this girl entirely forget the whole ‘apprentice’ part of what Ben was saying?

“That was the old way. We—we’re doing something different than the Jedi of the past,” he continued.

“This is some sort of trick, isn’t it?” the girl spat. “This twisted doublespeak. I’m not falling for it.” For a moment, it looked like she was either going to sprint back into her residence or try her luck with the vibroblade that dangled off of her hip.

Rey wanted neither of those things.

Instead, she turned to Ben with a tight smile. He meant well, but clearly, he was off-balance. Maybe he saw too much of himself in her: alone, angry, willing to rebel.

“Ben, take a walk around the block, please.”

She glanced up at his face and saw the start of a protest there. Whether it was an unwillingness to leave her alone or a drive to fix his mistake, she didn't know and she didn't particularly care. This was the first step of their new mission.

Rey understood. They were strangers, offering this girl a new life. How many times had something like that happened, when it was clear the people offering were really slavers or skin traders, preying on those down on their luck? Rey was familiar with those who visited Niima Outpost.

How strange, to see herself mirrored in such a way.

She caught his wrist as he passed. In that touch, she could sense his panic and suddenly Rey was filled with a sickening remorse. It had been such a short time since the end of the war and he feared that somehow, he would mess things up. Most of the Resistance thought they would fail and he didn't want to prove them right.

She squeezed gently. _Trust me._

This entire endeavor was an exercise in trust, but this seemed to be the first test. They were a team, for better or worse. She tried to convey that with her touch, not needing to open up her mind to him.

Ben nodded shortly and bowed out, leaving the two women alone.

“He’s not a people person,” Rey apologized with a self-deprecating smile.

That didn't seem to soften Mhyra from her tense stance. She was like a wild animal, tightly-strung, slow to trust.

“I do not want a master,” she growled. “I’m not falling for it.”

Rey didn't recoil at the venom in her words. She saw part of herself in Mhyra, just as Ben did. Unkar Plutt had been her master and she remembered the simmering resentment and anger that followed her with every step.

“Neither of us will not be your master. We will be your teachers, how to control that power that is inside of you,” Rey insisted.

Her brow tightened as she bared her teeth at her. “I don't believe you.”

Rey decided to take a different tact. She stepped forward to lean against one of the nearby crates stacked in the courtyard.

“You’re angry, aren’t you? Not just at Ben, but everything in general.”

Mhyra scoffed. “Don’t know what that has to do with anything.”

“Tell me what you are thinking about, then,” Rey replied with a shrug.

She eyed her suspiciously. Before Rey could be sure she was just going to curse her out for her troubles, the younger woman opened her mouth with an exasperated shake of the head.

“My one day off in over a month and I get to deal with a couple of freaks,” she grumbled. “Typical.”

Almost unbidden, fractured memories trickled in across Rey’s mind. Her world was filled with long days and back-breaking work. The end of the war didn't stop the work, but it did drive down wages as the demand for ship parts dropped.

“Do you live with anyone here?”

It was a bit obvious. It looked like the apartment was bursting at the seams and the fact that they were alone seemed like a miracle.

“My aunt and about 6 strangers in our unit. Sometimes 7, depends on the week.”

Rey nodded. Functionally, she was alone. She sensed no real affection or connection to her aunt. Blood was blood, but it could only go so far.

“Do they know about your dreams?”

“They know I talk and yell in my sleep. They think I’m possessed or high on spice all the time, or something.”

More memories, this time clearer. Times when her reflexes were just too fast to be normal, when something tugged at the small of her back, drawing her to the back of the warehouse just as a local gang opened fire in the front.

Rey could already tell that the girl was good with her vibroblade. She could only imagine her possible skills with a lightsaber.

If Mhyra was conscious of what she was sharing with Rey, she didn't show it. To Rey’s relief, her posture seemed to soften.

“Do you know where Jakku is?”

Mhyra shook her head.

“It a desert planet in the Outer Rim. I lived there as a child until very recently as a servant to a junker. The _slave_ of a junker.”

The girl watched her with her mouth in a thin line.

“I know what it’s like to be under someone’s thumb,” Rey continued. “Ben knows it too. We would never do something like that to you.”

Rey reached out, only halfway.

“Take my hand.”

Suspicious faded as Mhyra saw the challenge that it was. She stepped forward and took Rey’s hand.

“Breathe,” Rey said.

Mhyra’s eyes flickered closed as Rey’s did as well.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the spark formed between them.

She could hear Mhyra’s shocked inhale as suddenly the ground beneath them and the people around them seemed to converge on the point where their hands met.

Death, life, peace, violence. It was what Rey had seen on Ahch-To, just in a different lens. This was life and death, peace and violence of a city. It was loud, chaotic, and for a moment it seemed like they would both be overwhelmed by it.

What was close became far away, muted. Instead, another image appeared: two dusty, broken figures stumbling through the mist, a space battle waging above them. Then, the two figures again, this time standing in a courtyard, clean and smiling and reaching out in welcome.

Mhyra’s hand went limp in hers and the vision ended. The girl blinked at her, eyes bright and glassy.

“How did—I saw—,” she sputtered.

Rey was similarly shaken. Mhyra had seen them on Exegol and even saw a glimpse of what could be the future. “You saw us in your dreams.”

Seeing it only seemed to make it more real. Rey hadn’t seen Luke in her dreams the way Mhyra saw her. This was more: fate, destiny.

The girl swallowed. She was blinking a lot, as if to ward off overwhelmed tears. “You welcomed me to somewhere I had never been before.”

“Were you afraid?” Rey asked.

“No.”

Rey squeezed her hand before letting go. “It is destiny that we have met, Mhyra. I know it. You will be a great student.”

Not the _best_. She couldn't put that expectation on the first child they found. Ben had reminded her tirelessly. Prodigy students often found themselves failing in worse ways than their peers and the stakes were too high now in the period of rebuilding for something like that to happen.

They thought of Anakin Skywalker. They thought of Ben Solo. Rey and Ben would teach their students but they would not place the galaxy on their shoulders.

“Think about it and we’ll be back tomorrow. If you say no, we’ll leave you alone and won’t ask again. Deal?”

She rolled her eyes, but Rey could already see her resolve wavering.

“Fine.”

Rey waved farewell as she retraced her steps back to the main road. Ben met her almost immediately, questions on his face.

“Do you think she will come with us?” he asked.

Rey shrugged, shuffling close enough that her side was pressed against his as they trailed down the cramped street.

“Nothing is certain, but I think…she longs to understand herself.”

Rey felt the same way when she first went to Ahch-To, though she didn't truly find understanding until she had left. It wasn’t quite the same, but it still made her feel sad to see someone else feel that conflict.

“Should we return to the _Falcon_?”

Rey glanced at Ben, who watched her with undisguised concern. Maybe she was a bit more transparent than she thought.

“Sure.”

They wandered back to the ship and kept to opposite sides of the ship for the rest of the day. Rey told herself it was because there was prep work to be done to house their students on the ship, but part of her didn't want to remain too close to Ben. It felt too raw and too scary.

But, when he passed by where she worked, she couldn't help but ask “Are you okay, Ben?”

He froze, mid-step. For a moment, she was sure he wasn’t going to answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own: “Why are you asking?”

She wanted to roll her eyes at him. He was simmering with barely-contained energy, enough that she felt jittery just being in close proximity to him.

Ben seemed to sense her unsaid words and his shoulders drooped.

“I just hope that she says yes. I bungled it, so it would be my fault if she refuses.”

Rey nodded, trying to give him a reassuring smile. That was on her mind, too. Mhyra was the first one they found. They wanted this to work and it would be a blow to their morale if their first prospect turned them down.

“I think she will. Have faith.”

Hollow words, but Ben’s shoulders straightened again. Rey didn't want to look too hard at his determined expression.

The next day met them with grey skies and the patter of rain.

While ready for it, they found themselves slogging through the streets find Mhyra’s apartment again. In the grey mist, they were sure that she would be in her apartment, a subtle rejection of their offer.

Instead, Mhyra stood at the foot of the steps with a pack on her back. Raindrops collected in her closely-cropped hair, like a halo.

“My aunt doesn’t give a damn what I do. So, might as well.”

There wasn’t a trace of regret, only a little fear of the unknown. Rey bit back a grin as she waved her forward and led her to the _Falcon_.

“Have you ever flown before?” Rey asked as they navigated Corellia’s streets. Ben was silent as he followed behind them, but Rey could sense his sense of pride.

The girl shrugged, but there was an undercurrent of excitement. “Only on short trips, never off-world.”

She marveled at the ship and Rey couldn't help but be thankful that Mhyra wasn’t familiar with ship models or she would’ve had something to say about the _Falcon_. Probably a quip about how old and outdated the model was.

“Where are we going?” Mhyra asked as soon as they hit the atmosphere.

“We’re looking for students like you. We think the next one is on Coruscant.”

“Students like me?” she echoed.

“Those who can use the Force.”

Mhyra regarded them, blinking. “You say that like I know what that means.”

The two had the decency to look sheepish at their omission. They talked about Jedi this, Jedi that, but not about the most important thing, the thing that brought them together in the first place.

Rey pulled out one of the bound texts and set it in her lap.

“How about we conduct our first lesson?”

* * *

They spent the next two months searching the galaxy for others.

Some were children of overburdened families, who were more than willing to give up one of their own for the sake of the others’ survival. It left a bitter taste on Rey’s mouth to see her own parents mirrored in others. Her parents had given her up to a slaver. Ben and Rey could have been lying to these families, but they didn't seem to care all that much.

More often than not, people refused. They clung to their children, unwilling to give them up to two strangers adhering to a near-extinct doctrine. Rey would almost sigh in relief, especially when the number of students slowly grew.

Rey and Ben would leave a commlink in case they changed their minds. Some would keep it; others would smash it in front of them or throw it at their retreating backs.

“I think a dozen is more than enough for now,” Finn said, snapping Rey’s thoughts from the Ithorian family that treated them with rage that seemed to echo across the city. They were sure that the translator droid they borrowed told them that they weren’t trying to _buy_ their child off of them, but something was clearly missed.

Rey sighed and scrubbed her face in her hands. “But we can sense so many more of them.”

They had tracked down the brightest Force signatures first, and they were all children. Rey could only assume that there were more children and even adults who harbored Force sensitivity that needed their training. The thought that there was even one like them in the galaxy who needed them made her antsy.

“I understand that, but you can’t neglect the ones you already have,” Finn sighed. “See if the temple on Radea Minor works and go from there.”

“I owe you a debt for looking into places for us. It saves us a lot of trouble.”

Finn shrugged with a wide grin. “Think nothing of it. It’s a fun break from government-building and such. And, I could’ve sworn I could feel _something_ in some of those places.”

Rey couldn't help the swell of pride and sorrow for Finn. He grappled with his newly-found sensitivity, despite her attempts to teach him basic meditations. He would often say that he would prefer meditating with a staff or a blaster than by himself sitting in the dirt.

“I’m glad.”

“Yeah. It’s weird, like part of me was half-asleep and now it’s awake and doesn’t know what to do with itself.”

The conversation trailed off from there. Finn had his hands full in rehabilitating captured and defected Stormtroopers, let alone dealing with his place in rebuilding the Republic.

The commlink went silent and Rey should have felt alone. She didn’t.

While Rey remembered how the remnants of the Resistance had found shelter in the _Falcon_ , the group of children seemed to make the ship’s interior even smaller. They had enough supplies for almost another month, but they would need to either find somewhere to stay or circle back to a Resistance base to get resupplied.

“Is that where we’re going to be staying, Miss Rey?”

She glanced back to see one of the younger students, a Togruta girl named Loseen, standing at the cockpit entrance.

Rey glanced out the viewport. She could sense something about that place.

“Maybe,” Rey offered as she turned back to the child.

As if summoned, Rey’s commlink beeped.

“Ben?”

Ben was breathless, nearly stumbling over his words. “Force, it might work. You and I will need to do some work on the place, starting with the heating and lights. There’s a courtyard, perfect for a garden.”

Rey nodded, as if he could see her. “Should I bring the children in?”

“Sure. We’ll keep them in the courtyard while we fix some of the wiring. Finn left some supplies when he visited. Maybe he was hoping we stay here.”

She looked to the commlink, imagining Finn’s shit-eating grin.

It was a nice place, with blue skies and tall trees that almost hid the temple from view when they first flew past it. Radea Minor was definitely one of the better options, opposed to heavily-forested and nigh-upon inaccessible temples that scattered across the galaxy.

“Okay, I’ll bring our students.”

Her breath shuddered in her chest.

“Hey, Rey?”

Concern sounded plainly over the tinny connection and Rey winced. “Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

Rey swallowed around the lump in her throat. Suddenly, the stress of the past months seemed to crash over her. She wanted it to be done, but it would never quite be over. After this, they would truly become teachers.

“I just—we’re so close. I’ll bring them in. See you in a bit.”

She dropped her commlink into her pocket and walked to the galley, where their dozen students played and lounged, waiting for something to happen. Two of the older ones had turned on the Dejarik table and were in the middle of a game, successfully distracting some of the younger ones who watched the hologram creatures with wide-eyed fascination.

“Everyone,” Rey called out, getting their attention.

Having a dozen pairs of eyes on her shouldn’t have been as nerve-wracking as it was. She had made speeches to the Resistance before, to bigger crowds. There was a disconnect between her and the Resistance that didn't exist between her and the children.

They were the future and their fates were intertwined with hers. She just wanted them to like her.

“As you know, we have been looking for a place to start our school. It’s looking like this is the place, so I want to show you around. Sound good?” she announced, wringing her hands in front of her.

A chorus of ‘yes, Miss Rey’ followed, some bored, some eager.

“Alright. Gather your things and follow me.”

They started shuffling, picking up toys and blankets and hoisting bags across their shoulders.

“Miss Rey, may I be carried?” Loseen asked, clutching a plush Loth-cat to her chest.

A lot of the children were clingy. They liked to be carried and climb over Ben and Rey. Ben often found himself carrying someone across his shoulders. When one child had the honor, it was inevitable that others would ask for the same treatment.

“If one of you gets carried, all of you get carried. You know how this works,” Rey reminded gently. “I can’t carry all of you to the temple.”

“All! All!” Loseen chirped, grabbing at Rey’s pant leg and looking up expectantly.

Rey watched as the little ones watched her with wide-eyed anticipation and she immediately regretted opening her mouth.

* * *

When the children were put to bed for the night, she could sense the excitement throughout the temple. Each child had their own bed, which was a novelty and a privilege for some of them.

Rey and Ben found each other as soon as the last bedroom closed.

“What do you think?” Ben asked.

Rey struggled to focus on the words and not on how the lighting cast appealing shadows across his face. The way her hands and head ached from hours of poring over electrical grids was a welcome distraction.

“I think this is perfect. Or, as perfect as it can get.”

There was still work to be done with fixing up the place, but after that, they could begin training. Much to be done, but Rey didn't want to think about any of it.

“There are a couple empty bedrooms left,” Rey murmured.

“Yes.”

They watched each other.

“But, you know, the heating could be unreliable,” Rey said offhandedly, as if she couldn’t hear her heartbeat in her ears. “Might not work in all of them. Best to pick one and share.”

Ben nodded and his tongue swept over his lower lip. Rey’s eyes were drawn to the motion.

“You know, through this entire process, I haven’t been able to stop looking at you.”

Ben blinked at his own admission and she could see the faint blush that dusted his cheeks and the tops of his ears.

She was sure she was the one to move first, grabbing handfuls of Ben’s shirt and hauling him close. Ben went willingly as he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other cupped the back of her neck.

The first kiss on Exegol was something she revisited often. It was hard to separate the bad memories surrounding that day from the good, but she could manage. The relief she felt panged through her chest, even months later.

This was different, but echoed the same. Ben’s mouth was soft and eager against hers and there was an air of relief and release in the way they moved against each other. The taste of dust and death didn't cling to their mouths like on Exegol. There was still some dust, but the kiss was full of hope and promise.

They didn’t pull away from each other after that first kiss; they had given themselves permission to continue. The temple was theirs, the children, their students, were asleep in their beds.

In their own way, they had won and the dam they had built against their desire to _be_ could finally break. They were no longer Jedi Masters, no longer Miss Rey and Mister Ben.

They were together and the titles could just melt away.

Rey made a pathetic noise in the back of her throat as Ben’s mouth skimmed over the line of her jaw.

“Let’s find a bedroom,” Ben mused. She could feel him smile against her skin.

They, of course, stumbled into the one bedroom in the whole temple that didn't have heat. Rey shivered comically and giggled into his mouth, feeling strangely carefree, as if the fate of the Jedi didn't rest on their shoulders. He was warm enough for the both of them.

His hands skimmed under her shirt and she felt very small in his embrace. Then, he pulled her shirt over her head and replaced the cloth with his hands and mouth. She forgot to be cold soon after that.

* * *

After everything, they had their new temple. They had the Jedi texts and two lightsabers and a dozen students who needed guidance.

It was daunting for both of them, though Ben seemed more easily acclimated to the environment and had more of an idea of what they were supposed to be doing.

Surviving the first month was a victory, but there were many steps to be taken before they could fully relax into their new reality.

She supposed that the young Twi’lek running into Rey and Ben’s shared bedroom was another of those many next steps.

Ben awoke with a jolt, wide-eyed, at the sudden sound of the door opening, while Rey blinked as light spilled from the hallway into the room. She glanced up to see a short silhouette in the doorway, illuminated by the lights behind it.

“Miss Rey?” the little voice called out.

She recognized the voice immediately. Of all the young ones they taught, this one was the most outspoken.

“Yes, Taao?” Rey responded. She could sense his nervousness and fear in the Force, but she didn't pry further from there. While a child and under their tutelage, Rey and Ben strived to give privacy whenever possible, even when thoughts were practically broadcasted to them

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he was going to answer or simply start crying.

He swallowed a labored breath before whispering, “I—I had a nightmare.”

Rey nodded, whatever annoyance she had softening, waving the boy over. Seeing that as permission, he scurried over and clamored over into Rey’s lap.

Taao wrapped his arms around Rey, squeezing as hard a child could. Rey squeezed back, gently. She glanced over to see that Ben had turned to his side to face them. She could just barely see the faint smile on his face.

They strived to be better than those before them. The children who were lonely and confused were welcomed when they sought help and guided when they were too afraid to ask.

Slowly, Taao seemed to let go of his fear.

“Why is Mister Ben in your bed, Miss Rey?” he asked, breaking the silence.

Rey hesitated. While they didn't advertise their relationship around the students, it was obvious that the older ones could see something going on between them. It may have been less obvious to the younger students, who were often more preoccupied with the possibility of snack time and conning their teachers into doing tricks for them.

“You know how we going into town and sometimes we see adults holding hands and kissing each other?”

She glanced down to see the boy wrinkle his face in disgust.

“ _Yeah_ ,” he replied with an exasperated drawl. “What does that gotta do with anything?”

“Well, sometimes those adults share the same bed together.”

Realization seemed to dawn fairly quickly. “Oh.” Rey bit back a smile as Taao buried his face in her chest.

Rey held him, watching minutes slide by on the chrono on Ben’s bedside table. When Taao yawned and yawned again, she pulled back to look into that tired face.

“Want me to walk you back to your bed?” she asked.

Taao paused before he quietly asked, “Carry?”

While she knew Taao was perfectly capable of walking on his own, she couldn't resist. The boy wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs arounds her torso as she hoisted him up. He wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t something her body expected to do in the middle of the night.

Ben pulled the covers over the vacated space and Rey realized for the umpteenth time how much she loved that man.

She carried Taao down the dimly-illuminated hallway to his bedroom, which he shared with 2 other students. The others slept peacefully, unaware of their bunkmate’s fear. Rey wasn’t sure if that was something to be encouraged or correcting. She wanted the students to be mindful of each other’s feelings, but not be influenced by them at every nightmare and burst of anger. She would need to talk over with Ben about that later.

“Good night, Taao,” she murmured as she tucked him into his bed.

“Good night, Miss Rey. Tell Mister Ben ‘good night’ too.”

She patted his head before turning away. “I will.”

The door shut with a click behind her, leaving her alone in the cavernous hallway. It did seem spookier when she was alone. She marveled at Taao’s bravery in overcoming any fear of the darkness to find Rey’s room.

Before retracing her steps back to their room, she paused and closed her eyes. All around her, she could sense life. It felt like the final rebuke of her own heritage. The Emperor could never have something like there. There could only be two, in the Sith doctrine. She had many, and she also had Ben at her side.

The unease would never quite go away. There was still that part inside of her that could turn, but she had made peace with it. She found her own family. Blood was blood, but it could only carry her so far.

Rey shook herself from the melancholy thoughts and scurried back to the bedroom. Radea Minor’s nights were too cold for her tastes.

She could already sense that Ben was still awake, so she made no real effort in sneaking through the room. She peeled back the covers and rolled back into bed. Warmth immediately surrounded her and chased away any chill that clung to her limbs.

“Is he okay?” Ben asked sleepily before slinging an arm over her abdomen.

Rey nestled closer. “Yeah, he’s gonna be fine.”

“And you?”

She turned to look at him. He stared at the ceiling with consternation and she couldn't help but lean over and kiss the space between his eyebrows.

“Of course.”

She watched him as the wrinkles smoothed out.

“And you, Ben? Are you going to be okay?”

A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. She leaned down to kiss him, almost missing his soft answer.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> All feedback is appreciated! :3


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